Rock ‘n roll would have happened in Vancouver but it might have happened later if not for the enthusiasm of Red Robinson.
-Tom Harrison, The Province
Red Robinson’s roots go back to the beginning of Rock’n`Roll.
Robinson was one of the first Canadian disc jockeys to play Rock and Roll music, both in the Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon markets.
While still in high school in 1954, Robinson started working as a disc jockey at the age of 16 at radio station CJOR. He was one of the first DJ’s to play in Canada. In 1957, he was the host of the Elvis Presley concert at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium, and repeated the experience at the same venue with The Beatles in 1964. Robinson returned to CJOR in 1968 where he worked as an Operations Manager.
Over the years, Robinson worked at many radio and TV stations in Vancouver and Portland, including CBC, CKWX, KGW, and CFUN. Robinson hosted the CBC’s television series, Let’s Go and Trivia Challenge. On Let’s Go, he introduced some of Canada’s best-known rockers, including Randy Bachman, Terry Jacks and the Collectors. Robinson was also the host for KVOS-TV’s long-running “Red’s Classic Theatre”.
Robinson moved to CKWX in 1971 and hosted mornings until 1983. He later went “network” with Reunion, a cross-Canada oldies show that ran from 1985-1993. Thereafter, Robinson built a top rated morning show on 650 CISL/Vancouver. He was elected into the Rock’n`Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000.
In 1969, Robinson entered the advertising business when he founded Trend Advertising (later Palmer Jarvis Advertising). Trend’s first agent was McDonald’s. Another advertising venture, Vrlak Robinson Advertising, merged with Hayhurst communications in 1987 to form one of Vancouver’s largest advertising agencies.
Robinson promoted “The Legends of Rock ‘n Roll” at Expo 86, and presented dozens of Rock and Roll giants at the Expo Theatre, including Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Righteous Brothers.
Robinson officially retired from radio in 2001, but continued to broadcast his Oldies show Sundays on the radio station 650 CISL. In his honour, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation opened the 1100-seat Red Robinson Show Theatre at Coquitlam’s Boulevard Casino in September 2006. In October 2007, Red Robinson moved to Vancouver’s 104.9 Clear FM.
Most recently, Robinson received two honours. The first, from the Vancouver Music Industry (VMI), is the Bruce Allen/Sam Feldman Legend Award for his support of the local music industry. “This award was created to recognize individuals who have significantly contributed to the local industry, and Red Robinson has been an integral part of this for many years.” (Jeff Dawson, VMI Founder).
Secondly, Robinson has been honoured as one of the 132 influential British Columbians included in a giant collage known as “The Party.” This comes from the Royal British Columbia Museum in recognition of the 150th anniversary of B.C. becoming a Crown colony. |
